If Xavi can get Barcelona through to the last 16 of the Champions League then surely Xavi would be the perfect coach for Barcelona. But yes, there is still a second chance for Xavi, and hopefully Xavi can give his best for Barcelona in the Europa League and not like last season.
Xavi only becomes a perfect coach when he can win the titles. If he only makes Barcelona qualifies for the next round in UCL, we can't call him 'perfect' yet. There is nothing special about it, there are many other coaches who can do it. ~ In my opinion, Xavi is terrible as a coach and even if by some miracle he gets a super team at his disposal (as happened with Guardiola who got the golden team of Spain) with which he will receive titles, this will not be proof that he is perfect. To consider a coach great, you need to see his strategy, his flexibility (and not "put together a top team and play only plan A") and of course confirmation of his status in different clubs. I think Xavi is cosmically far from it. I can't say much about Xavi as a coach, but judging by the team's performance I think their performance has been too bad. I know they had a poor run in the Champions league which got them eliminated in the group stages of the competition but they are doing a lot better in the league. I think his strategies are also not bad as they wouldn't be sitting at the top of the La liga table if that be the case. I think he should be given more time |
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Liverpool's recent performance in the league is getting better and they have been showing glimpse of improvement in their games. Against Southampton I expected a draw and a tough game but Liverpool played so well, dominated the game and were able to finish the game with all three points. I think the situation is changing and they are getting back in form.
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I heard rumors about Barcelona's plans to extend Alonso's contract. I never know if that's true, but I don't think it's going to be a really good decision. To be honest I noticed Alonso wasn't really good in his last 12 games for Barcelona, but his experience may have convinced Xavi to stick with him for longer. If this issue is true, then I think Alonso really has to give his best for his current team. Alonso is useful in several positions especially at center back or left back, that's his forte but he's not very reliable with pace.
Now things are going well for Alonso because Xavi really believed in him during Araujo and several other defenders were injured. So he must maximize this opportunity well to keep a place in the Barcelona main squad. Other than that, Araujo's recovery condition will probably make Barcelona happy even though he recently underwent surgery.
For a player like Alonso there is more than just his performance on the pitch he has to offer, he also offers experience to the team and defensive line. I won't be surprised to see Barcelona given him an extension to his contract because there must be something Xavi sees in Alonso that made him sign him from Chelsea. He is an important part of the team and even though he is not at his best currently there are possibilities that he will improve. |
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First half is gone and so far Arsenal have been very impressive in the game, dominating in possession, passing and accuracy already. This is indeed a good sign that something good might come out of this game tonight for the gunners. Arsenal are looking very solid and promising in the game. We are yet to see a goal in this fixture, hopefully it will not be a boring game in the end.
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What a disappointing result for Pep today, I'm sure he will be furious with his team's performance today, losing all three points to Brentford at home and ending a long home unbeaten run. What a sad way to go into the international break this time, I'm sure they had hoped to go into the break leading Arsenal. Brentford were superb defensively and that gave them the edge over City's attack. I am eager to see if Arsenal can win against wolves to increase their lead to 5 points clear off Manchester City.
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Indeed that game will be a tough one for both teams. Barcelona will not be willing to lose the game against Manchester or dropping out of the Europa league after the world cup. Finally Ronaldo gets a chance to play against Barcelona again after a long time since he left Real Madrid for Juventus. This will be like a reunion and I will love to see Ronaldo scoring against Barcelona again. It will be a delight to watch.
Last season in the Europa, Barcelona was one of the projected best teams to win the league. Like, there was a coming of Xavi in its management and the teams morale was highetened, we found them producing better results than the previous management and they seems to have found there results but sadly, they got eliminated. I guess they are here again but this time, not with as half expectation as before and might just get eliminated too early with this Manchester United fixtures. Manchester United have been on the rise lately and would be taking there chances at the league this season. Hence, Barcelona vs Manchester United would be one hell of a game. Both teams have got so much to stick there heads out for in this encounter. Barcelona in the Europa league should be better than their performance in the Champions league because it is not as tough as the champions league. I believe they will perform better in the Europa league after all the have a good squad with many high profiled and world class players who have much experience in these competitions and know how to win trophies so I will be expecting a much better Barcelona team in the Europa league this season. |
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You are right that Real Madrid's splendid performance is inseparable from the appearance of their midfielders who have excellent performances. Modric and Kroos are the lifeblood of Real Madrid's game now, yes they can always be the difference on the pitch when the team is deadlocked. We saw in the previous game when they lost Kroos in midfield due to being sidelined due to a red card received in the previous match, the result was a defeat that saw them move away from Barcelona. They have not found the ideal player to replace his position in midfield, the young players in the squad have not been able to perform optimally at least have a mission to play like Toni Kroos.
Ancelotti also actually had to prepare alternatives other than Modric or Kroos. Modric age is quite old and it is possible that injuries or decreased performance will often occur in players whose age is no longer productive on the field. What Real Madrid needs now is that they have many options, and next season's transfer market should pay more attention to it. Because this is for the balance of Real Madrid as a club that has a great reputation. Wouldn't it be better to have options than none, so that the transition period for new players is much more adaptable. The declining performance should not be underestimated, because Real Madrid still has a long way to go both in the Champions League and in La Liga. Ancelloti is well known for his experience as a manager in many years of service. It was a wise decision for Real Madrid to find suitable replacements in the midfield and to boost their options in the midfield also, now when Modric and Kroos get injured or face decline in their performance, they have the perfect replacements for them in that position. |
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The bookmakers are also excited about the Barcelona vs Manchester United tie, it would fetch streams and profits for all parties involved. With Barcelona struggling but still top of their league, i think they have the edge to get into the europa league last 16. What are your predictions
The competition is definitely fierce, although it's still a long way to go. But it belongs to a very interesting match to wait and the Manchester United side will definitely prepare themselves better when they see their opponent is Barcelona who are currently leaders in La Liga. I can't make more in-depth predictions for their match, but I would prefer Manchester United to win at home to Barcelona in the knockout round. Actually in this case predicting from the start I would personally say this is still a rush. We don't even know what they will be like in February and we still have to wait whether this will go well or not for Manchester United and Barcelona because we know these two clubs still have problems and this could be very disturbing for the continuity of their club's consistency in February later. Barcelona performs very good in la liga but MU has enough time to get its best performance against before the match will begin next year. I think that this gonna be a tough game for both. I hope that CR7 will be played full time against barcelona. That would be so good if he can destroy it like when he was in real madrid. I will be so happy to see that ronaldo will be played against barcelona. Barcelona is a team that has become his rival when he was in la liga. This gonna be epic match between both barcelona and MU. the history for ronaldo is repeating again. Indeed that game will be a tough one for both teams. Barcelona will not be willing to lose the game against Manchester or dropping out of the Europa league after the world cup. Finally Ronaldo gets a chance to play against Barcelona again after a long time since he left Real Madrid for Juventus. This will be like a reunion and I will love to see Ronaldo scoring against Barcelona again. It will be a delight to watch. |
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I understand why there is a huge gap among Manchester City and the other teams. Haaland is the biggest factor for Manchester City to be this much clear favourite. I'm a little surprised with Bayern Munich's being favoured more than PSG. But maybe it is related to the group stage performances. PSG didn't impress much as they couldn't beat Benfica and lost the lead to them. Real Madrid are just waiting behind these teams silently. We shouldn't disregard them easily for the championship. I'm even thinking about placing a bet on them to become the champions again.  Bayern is one legend of champions league besides Real Madrid because of that they are being favored. They also have more experienced fight with top club for long time and and able to overcome it all, while PSG they are is look new comer with new composition even the squad have more than what they want, but still they are not much compete in high class. And, for sure when Bayern can beat them in 16 round without have problem, they will one of champion candidate other than Madrid and Man City. The presence of Erling Haaland in the Manchester City squad makes them appear more confident. Yes, with Haaland we can see what Manchester City can do this season. The position that they lacked last season has been filled with players who are hungry for goals. Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are other teams who are very experienced in the Champions League, they are teams that have never missed the competition in this blue continent. But this season we lose Liverpool who are still in a bad situation, unlike last season they are one of the favorites to win the title. Definitely the presence of Erling Haaland in Manchester city's line up gives them a boost over their opponents because his presence alone causes scare and frightens the opposition defense and mounts pressure on them to make mistakes. they finally got the kind of striker they have been searching for since Aguero. He has all the qualities and ticks so many boxes. He is strong, fast, good in the air and can score many goals for fun, they are indeed lucky to have secured such an asset and I see them going far and possibly reaching the finals of the champions league this season. |
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According to statistics Lazio have not gotten even a win in their last five meetings with Juventus and this time might not be any different because with Juventus current form they have better probability of winning the game although noth teams bagged wins in their last fixture. Juventus need to win this game to move up to second position if Ac Milan get to lose their game so I believe that will be the target of the day for Juventus to get all three points from the match to move up or lessen the gap with the top teams.
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Senegal in despair over Mane's injury: We're going to use witch doctors, he has to be thereFIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura, from Senegal, has also said the same thing, but with an important nuance. The desperation over the possible absence of Mane is such that they will resort to unconventional methods. "We are going to use witch doctors. I don't know [if they are effective], but we are going to use them anyway," Samoura told Europe 1 radio. "Hopefully there will be a miracle. He has to be there Seems Senegal are desperate to bring Sadio mane to the world cup, just like in the last AFCON tournament that he was used despite him having a concussion on the pitch. Mane was just added to the list of players called up for the world cup and it got me worried, Isn't Senegal overworking Mane. I understand he's their players and he's needed if Senegal was to even dream about going far in the tournament but shoudn't the wellbeing of Sadio Mane be considered here. Other players with injuries aren't been called up but the case of Mane is different. Obviously he won't be at his 100% if he does play at the world cup because of his injuries so do you think Senegal was right calling him up for the squad to represent them at the world cup also why isn't Bayern Munich not resisting since they'll be at lost if Sadio Mane case get worst as a result of been overworked at Qatar. This is a major blow to the Senegalese national team losing their key player at this crucial moment when the World cup is just less than eleven days to go. The absence of Mane in the world cup for senegal is a huge blow to the Senegalese side. Suggesting the use of voodoo jokingly or not shows their desperation but they will be hoping for a miracle definitely to get Mane on his feet and fit when the World cup kicks off. |
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Newcastle is definitely going to beat Chelsea. I’m not going to gamble on Chelsea to even get a draw in that game.
Firstly, Looking at this Newcastle side, we can see that the team’s success has been built on a steely defence, having conceded just 11 goals with the best backline in the EPL this season. They can create chances and score goals and the same time avoid conceding goals. I don’t see how Chelsea will get a win when they haven’t been creating goal scoring chances. And I don’t think they will get a goal against this solid Newcastle defense.
This Newcastle side looks like a rebranded team this season, they have indeed strengthened important positions in the team like their defense, midfield and even their attacking options. The manager also has been able to bring out the best in the available players at his disposal. They are now able to create many chances and score more goals than the previous seasons. Going against Chelsea this weekend will be interesting and we shall see how well they can play against Chelsea. |
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My concern for Arsenal this season is that Arteta's players are not balanced between those in the first squad and the reserves. If faced with several competitions, it can certainly make it difficult for Arteta if faced with injuries that will be received by his players.
Hopefully the defeat in the EFL CUP is not a loss that is allowed or intentional in order to focus on the Premier League and Champions League.
Yeah you are absolutely right, I am also very concerned about the squad depth for the season. Arsenal have a good first team squad but they are weak in terms of depth. Arsenal are league title contenders now and it is expected that things will not remain all rosy as games keep coming, they will face injury setbacks and bans from bookings and if Arsenal are not well equipped with good in the team it will be a major problem to cope with, thank God for the international break that goes through the transfer period so they can be able to recruit and bring in additions. |
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If Arteta is the manager of Chelsea or Manchester United i am sure he already been sacked long before and this what makes Arsenal different than other big teams on Premier League that their management looks didn't give a lot of pressure to their manager even last season when Arsenal had poor performance period and most people will predict Arteta will be sacked but Arsenal management has patience to him and today they already feel the results that after long period process Arsenal finally can able to compete along with Manchester City for the trophy
When you work as a manager I feel it is important to have the backing and support of the top hierarchy to perform, if they are able to trust your strategies it makes it easier for the fans and players to follow. Arteta was able to earn the trust of the management that is why even when things were rough and some percentage of the group were singing Arteta out! The management stood firm and supporting him cause his project and vision was clear and in same direction with that of the management which is not the same with Chelsea and Manchester United. |
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Reshaping the squad back to its best is not as easy as one might think. Manchester United had gone through the worst phase before Ten Hag came to Old Trafford, he needed time to mix a squad with reliable players in every line. Manchester United has slowly started to find the best form, although in several games they had lost important points, Manchester United under Ten Hag's direction is better than the previous coaching period. Ten Hag still needs a few more players in the January transfer window to add depth to the Manchester United squad.
The task of restoring the club back to it's best is not easy but with the right strategies, the right players, mentality and with good discipline they can work something out and move forward towards improvement. The team have struggled for quite some years even before Erik Ten Hag’s arrival and I believe if they finally get the right manager in Ten Hag that will change the current situation at the club. |
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It looks like Arsenal are very likely to maintain their winning streak by this week's match as well. They are going to have an away match vs Wolves.
Arsenal defeated them in their last two meets too. Wolves are just horrible this season. They finished the previous season at the 10th place. But there is a huge decrease in their performance now. They got only two wins after leaving fourteen weeks behind. I think that they have a very low chance to get even one point vs Arsenal. Because Arsenal are like their complete opposite now. They are still leader in the league table. The Chelsea win recently should be helpful for them to be extra motivated. I don't expect any mistakes here.
I will not be too quick to give Arsenal the victory, any opponent in the league is dangerous because even those small teams are capable of humiliating the top teams at anytime. We saw how Watford humiliated Liverpool even when Liverpool were going unbeaten so it is wise not to underrate any small team. Wolves are not in a good form now but if Arsenal underestimates them then they may be surprised by the outcome of the match. |
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I'll pick Potter over Tuchel. Potter hasn't organised a team that still shambled in his hands. Tuchel has done that, there was when Chelsea team was strong, when Tuchel said he will make Chelsea fearful for any team to face. What happened to his plan. But Brighton that Potter put together are still strong till date even under another manager.
Forger big name and show results.
Base on what I was previously saying that Potter hasn't won any Big team in the premier league at all , look at today's game against Manchester City, Potter has failed again to get 3 points from a big team, making it like about three times he is faced with big teams Arsenal, Man United, and now Man City but couldn't get a win. Unlike Tuchel, He's is good in winning big teams when he was in Chelsea as a coach, and this is one of the interesting about him and also interesting things in football for fans to watch their clubs win big teams. Graham Potter has made quite a positive impact taking over from Thomas Tuchel for Chelsea although he still has to improve continuously, it wouldn't be easy at the moment but it will definitely take time. Right now he needs the support of the club and the management to believe in him and support his project and see how well he will be able to improve the squad. Hopefully the January window will help in fixing the weaknesses of the squad. |
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Chelsea's weakness is not the only defense. The condition of their entire teams is now unstable. They are not playing well. Manchester City scored 39 goals in 13 matches, and Haaland probably scored 18 goals in 12 matches. On the other hand, Chelsea players scored only 17 goals in 13 matches. The performance of Chelsea's forward players is poor. They need more talented strikers. And it is crucial for the strikers to perform well if they want to stay on top of the Premier League table. Because every team here is strong. So if the attacking players do not perform well, it becomes difficult to score points in the match.
The problem with Chelsea now isn't just the defense, a lot is going on, they are changing managers faster than a bullet, their attack isn't so effective at the moment too. 17 goals in 13 games for the club isn't a good stat at all, Haaland alone has scored that much goals in this season no wonder epl fans want him gone. Chelsea's attack have also been poor this season and inefficient, they need to recruit more talented strikers in the team and a good number nine to improve their scoring rate. |
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Karim Benzema's injury puts Real Madrid at a disadvantage and so far his absence have been felt in recent games even though Carlo Ancelloti has managed to rotate the squad and play Rodrygo as a top nine in their matches they have failed to score much goals recently which clearly shows how much Real Madrid should prioritize signing a new striker in the coming transfer window to solve this injury troubles and deliver suitable replacement for Benzema in times like this.
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Gerrard indeed has failed on Aston Villa that he cannot fulfiled the management expectation and this makes him got sacked this season but talking about Gerrard achievement during his career as the manager it comes when he train to Rangers that Gerrard can bring this team to get Scotland league trophy even with unbeatable status even he has made a history on Rangers with achieved more than 100 points in 1 season so this proven he can being an good manager at the right club
This also makes Aston Villa to recruit him because they want Gerrard can be success at Aston Villa but i don't know why Aston Villa isn't suitable for his strategy and eventually this team always be playing poor under him but the current manager of Liverpool Klopp has been believe Gerrard will be great manager someday even at the press conference Klopp said if someday he leave Liverpool probably he will recomend Gerrard as his replacement
Stephen Gerrard is still a young coach and hasn't got so much experience as a manager so I won't be expecting so much change and impact when he joined Aston Villa but they improved to an extent during his stay at the club. His spell at Rangers was indeed a good one but as we all know that the EPL is a different experience and challenge. Not every manager strives on their debut season in the premier league, many managers have been sacked too in the EPL. |
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